Iron War

Opening quote from Matt Fitzgerald's coverage of the epic 1989 duel between Dave Scott and Mark Allen in Kona, Iron War, is from Ralph Waldo Emerson,

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, he is just brave five minutes longer."

Putting this in context is the fun part. That day, and the subsequent TV coverage that I watched on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean in 1990, transformed my life, as I have been in search of those five minutes ever since.

I was given Iron War as an early Christmans present by a special someone who also understands the value of the five minutes, and who knew it would be a perfect and relevant gift for someone still chasing those 300 precious seconds. A chase that is intended to finish at the same spot in Kona where the drama of the 1989 Ironman took place. As exhausted as I was last night after the brutal evening session with the HoM Lab Rats, I stayed up for a chapter or two.

Nice try.

By the time Matt had done an fascinating intro on Dave and Mark it was midnight and I moaned at the thought of the iPhone's marimba jamming in four hours. I suppose it is logical to expect that my REM then included the following:

The taste of salt water

Bottle-nosed dolphins

Shimmering tropical sun

Pressure at the pedals

A tired neck and hot feet

Sweat pouring into eyes

The first few steps after T2

Finding the groove

Ice

Fatigue like never before

Second wind

Pain>Mirth>Suffering>Reward

Tears

If you have the time today take a close look at the IM video of Mark and Dave (the astute will notice that I switched the places) at the finish. It's about at the 3:05 point. Also is this 20 year anniversary interview hosted by Bob Babbitt. After 140.6 incredibly fast and efficient miles, stroke by stroke, turn by turn and stride by stride it came to this. Tears of joy.

Five minutes.

Pix: RCVman, Dave Scott and Simon Ward, The Triathlon Coach in Kona, 2011, 22 years after the Iron War. Tales are still told of that day.